“Fox and Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade compared skipping the Covid-19 vaccine to cliff diving, saying on Monday that people who don't survive the disease made the “choice” to die.
The assertion came as co-host Steve Doocy urged those who have resisted getting the vaccine to get the shot — and as the highly contagious delta variant surges across states with low vaccination rates, filling hospital beds and alarming public health officials.
“Listen, if you didn’t get a vaccination, that’s your choice,” Kilmeade said, adding that he and his co-hosts had all gotten the shot and were no longer wearing masks.
“If you want to go cliff-diving this weekend, you don’t have to check with me,” Kilmeade said. “It seems a little dangerous, but I’m not going to judge you. And if you go ahead and put yourself in danger, and you feel as though this is not something for you, don’t do it. But don’t affect my life.”
“99 percent of the people who are dying from Covid are unvaccinated,” Doocy interrupted.
“That’s their choice,” Kilmeade said.
“They don’t want to die,” Doocy responded, adding that new indoor mask mandates are aimed at protecting the unvaccinated.
“It’s not their job to protect anybody,” Kilmeade said.
Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the country, followed by Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Georgia, according to an NBC News tally. Less than 40 percent of the population in those states are fully vaccinated.
Mississippi’s top health official, Dr. Thomas Dobbs III, tweeted Monday that the virus’ 4th wave had hit the state, with case counts steadily climbing over the last month.
“Very sad indeed,” he said. “It didn’t have to be this way.”
